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Falcons vs Saints | Two weeks after a fervently matchup, Atlanta and New Orleans will backpedal at it; his opportunity with the lead position in the NFC South on hold.

The Falcons (9-5) won the primary amusement, 20-17, returning from a seven-point shortfall in the final quarter. The Saints (10-4) had the ball in the red zone requiring only a field objective to tie, however Drew Brees was picked off at last zone, enabling Atlanta to run out the clock.

Despite the fact that it wasn’t the prettiest diversion (11 punishments by New Orleans, three capture attempts by Matt Ryan), the power and hostility of a competition was positively present. Try not to be amazed assuming either or the two continues to this gathering in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, despite the fact that it will happen on Christmas Eve. Falcons vs Saints

The Falcons enter this diversion in the wake of beating Tampa Bay out and about this past Monday night. Atlanta wasn’t touchy on offense however utilized an adjust assault (209 passing yards, 201 surging) to outlive the Buccaneers. A third straight win on Sunday would secure a playoff spot as well as put the Falcons in the lead position over both the Saints and Panthers in the swarmed NFC South because of a superior division record.

Meanwhile, New Orleans last week beat the New York Jets 31-19 at home, but the Saints had their struggles on both sides of the ball. The offense turned it over three times and had trouble converting third downs, while the defense gave up more than 100 rushing yards and weren’t able to full take advantage of the matchup against Jets backup quarterback Bryce Petty. Now New Orleans needs to figure out a way to even things against the Falcons or the Saints will lose their grip on first place in the division.Falcons vs Saints

Atlanta at New Orleans

Three Things to Watch

1. Saints’ running attack on the decline?

New Orleans only managed 50 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries in the loss to Atlanta two weeks ago. That meager total can be partially explained by Alvin Kamara (right) being limited to one rushing attempt. He left in the first quarter due to a concussion.

Last week produced better results on the ground, as the Saints finished with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 28 attempts (4.7 ypc) against the Jets. Mark Ingram led the way with 74 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns, one of which covered 50 yards. Falcons vs Saints

But the flip side of this is that the long TD run by Ingram, which happened late in the fourth quarter, accounted for more than half of his yards. Kamara was on the field for less than half of New Orleans’ offensive snaps, and he managed just 44 rushing yards on 12 carries. Much of the Saints’ success this season can be attributed to the production of its two Pro Bowl running backs. Can they get back to punishing opponents on the ground?

2. Will Matt Ryan be more careful to protect the ball this time?

Ryan’s three interceptions in consecutive possessions nearly cost Atlanta the first encounter with New Orleans earlier this month. The first sabotaged a potential scoring drive at the end of the first half. The second one occurred on the first play of the second half. The third ended a drive in the red zone. Fortunately for Ryan, his defense bailed him out by picking off Drew Brees in the end zone with less than two minutes left and the Saints only trailing by three points.

The 2016 MVP, Ryan has struggled at different times this season. He also threw three interceptions in a Week 3 win at Detroit. He had three turnovers in the Falcons’ home loss to Buffalo a week later. He fumbled the ball three times, losing two of them, in a Week 8 victory on the road against the Jets. Falcons vs Saints

After averaging 309 passing yards per game with 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last season, Ryan has seen his production drop steeply to 249 yards per game (13th in the NFL) with 18 TDs and 11 INTs. His passer rating of 92.0 has him ranked just 16th in the league. Ryan was a big reason why Atlanta made it to the Super Bowl last season, but there have been many instances where the Falcons have won this year in spite of their quarterback. Wil that trend continue or can Ryan find his stride and help put his team in the best possible positon to defend their conference title?

3. Can the Saints cut down on the self-inflicted mistakes?

The pinnacle of a self-destruction for these Saints over the past few weeks occurred at Atlanta. They committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, nine of which gave the Falcons a first down. However, this worrisome trend started three weeks earlier. In a 34-31 win at home against Washington, New Orleans lost 54 yards and gave up three first downs to the Redskins.

The next week on the road, the Saints were docked 112 penalty yards (and four first downs) in a 26-20 loss to the Rams. That was followed by 68 yards and four first downs via penalty in a 31-21 home win over the Panthers. Last week against the Jets the damage was 92 yards but only three first downs. That still brings the total to 408 penalty yards and 23 first downs over a five-game stretch. It’s stating the obvious, but New Orleans cannot afford such a high level of generosity towards any team, but certainly not Atlanta again.Falcons vs Saints

Falcons vs Saints

Foxborough, Mass. — Forget about the show between Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. Indeed, Gronkowski’s hit was past grimy, however the Bills don’t have any space to stress over what occurred back in Week 13.

Heading into a Week 16 diversion against the Patriots, the Bills have preferable playoff trusts over they’ve had since 2004. A win against the Patriots, as far-fetched as it might appear to a few, would support their odds much more.

As predominant as the Patriots have taken a gander now and again this season, they are just fourteen days expelled from losing to the Dolphins. That by itself should give the Bills some expectation.Bills vs Patriots

Know the adversary

The Patriots still have a standout amongst the most powerful offenses in the NFL. With Rob Gronkowski once again from suspension, New England ricocheted once more from its one-diversion, Dolphins-actuated funk with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Running back Rex Burkhead will miss this amusement with knee damage, however Dion Lewis, James White and Mike Gillislee still present a test in the running diversion. In any case, the Bills didn’t experience much difficulty with the Patriots wide-recipient pair of Brandin Cooks and Danny Ammendola in the primary matchup between these two groups. The greatest concerns are Gronkowski and New England’s running amusement.

Defensively, the Patriots present a tough matchup for the Bills. Buffalo only managed three points in the first matchup between these two teams. Bill Belichick seems to have Tyrod Taylor figured out. If the Bills want to move the ball, LeSean McCoy will be their best bet. The Patriots’ run defense has been inconsistent this season, so McCoy has a chance to carry the Bills’ offense. Buffalo will also have Kelvin Benjamin in the lineup for this game. He should provide a tougher matchup for Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots’ secondary.Bills vs Patriots

Bills vs Patriots

How to follow the game

The game will be broadcast on CBS beginning at 1 p.m. NYup.com will also be running a live blog. You can follow along on Twitter with the following handles.

What the Patriots are saying

Bill Belichick had quite a bit of praise for the Bills’ secondary this week. His full 441-word response is here, but this is the highlight of it.

“Well Buffalo’s defensive scheme is very well coordinated,” Belichick said. “They’re very well coached. They give you a lot of different looks and they do a great job of disguising those looks so they all kind of look the same. You don’t know what it is until a lot of times after the snap. The safeties in particular, Hyde and Poyer, do a very good job of disguising. So sometimes you don’t get a clear read on the coverage until a second or a second and a half into the play. They hold it even during the play, which you don’t see that a lot.Bills vs Patriots

Ordinarily, this would be quite a tenuous spot for the Bills. Having to play in New England, in Week 16, their playoff hopes on the line and staring across at their supreme arch nemesis, the evil one himself, Tom Brady.

However, with an 8-6 record in a weakened AFC, the Bills catch a break in their quest to end their 17-year playoff drought. Losing Sunday afternoon to the Patriots would not ruin their Christmas because their playoff situation isn’t all that greatly impacted if things don’t go well at Gillette Stadium.

Winning would be great, amazing in fact, but if they lose, they will travel down to Miami next week still right in the thick of it all. We all knew a couple weeks ago that it was probably going to come down to that game against the Dolphins, and that remains the case.Bills vs Patriots

Rams vs Titans Live | The Christmas Eve matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans includes a couple of groups with playoff goals headed in inverse ways enterting the penultimate few days of the NFL’s normal season.

The Rams (10-4) are hitting their walk at the ideal time. New off a 42-7 beatdown of the adversary Seahawks in Seattle, Los Angeles now has a two-amusement advantage in the NFC West and are only one win far from securing a home playoff diversion out of the blue since 2003.

It’s astounding truly, to consider where this group was a season prior. Jeff Fisher was getting let go. Todd Gurley looked broken. Jared Goff appeared as though anything besides a NFL quarterback. Embed 31-year-old head mentor and evident hostile intellectual Sean McVay and the Rams look like genuine contenders in the NFC. Gurley is running wild once more. Goff resembles a totally unique quarterback. Football, you’re irregular, man.Rams vs Titans

On the other hand, the Titans (8-6) look like the team they’ve been for the last decade — underwhelming. Maybe we collectively over-hyped this team coming into the season. Clearly, Marcus Mariota (above, right) isn’t developing as quickly as many hoped or expected and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie’s scheme simply doesn’t seem to match up with the third-year quarterback’s strengths. Mike Mularkey’s “exotic smashmouth” brand of football has been anything but exotic, and simply mundane.Rams vs Titans

Yet, somehow, the Titans still control their own playoff destiny with two games left to play. So, which team shows up? The squad that dismantled the Jaguars and Seahawks early in the season, or the one that has dropped back-to-back games to the Cardinals and 49ers?

Los Angeles at Tennessee

Three Things to Watch

1. Todd Gurley

There’s been some talk of Gurley being an MVP candidate — and I’m totally here for it. Maybe it’s because I grew up in an era of unforgettable running backs like Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Jerome Bettis (Heck, I wore a Rodney Hampton jersey every day for a week in first grade.) So, maybe I’m just longing for a simpler time when teams force-fed one guy 35 times a game. Or maybe, Gurley is just that good.Rams vs Titans

In the last decade, there has been only one running back to win the Associated Press NFL MVP – Adrian Peterson in 2012. Before AD (not “AP,” guys), it was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. In ’12, Peterson became just the seventh player with more than 2,000 rushing yards in a season. In ’06, Tomlinson set the NFL single-season scoring record with 31 total touchdowns. So basically, Gurley would have to come close to setting some sort of record before even being considered.

Look, I know Gurley is a long shot to even come close to surpassing the great Tom Brady (although Carson Wentz would have been a serious contender had he not torn his ACL) and winning the award for himself — but hear me out. Gurley leads the league in touchdowns (17) and is third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,187), only 35 yards behind current leader Le’Veon Bell. Gurley also is second on his team in receptions (54, just four behind Cooper Kupp), and is the driving force behind the highest-scoring offense in the league (31.3 ppg, tied with Philadelphia).

While Gurley probably won’t dethrone Brady when the votes are counted, his 180 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns last week against Seattle has at least put him in the conversation. If Gurley can repeat against a Titans defense that has been stout against the run all season, it may be time to view him as a legitimate contender.Rams vs Titans

2. Tennessee’s playoff picture

Two weeks ago, despite their uninspiring play, the Titans were 8-4 and in prime position to win their first AFC South crown since 2008. Two straight losses to two bad teams later, and they are looking up in the standings at the Jaguars, who now hold a two-game lead with two to play. Despite their recent shortcomings, the Titans are still in control of their own playoff destiny, but they need help.

Luckily for Tennessee, it holds the tiebreaker against fellow 8-6 teams, Baltimore and Buffalo. But in order for the Titans to get back in the hunt for an AFC South title, they need help from the team and quarterback that beat them last week – Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers. If San Francisco can somehow beat Jacksonville at home this week, and the Titans can take care of the Rams, the Week 17 matchup in Nashville against the Jaguars will be for the division title. More importantly, Tennessee can clinch no worse than a wild-card berth with a victory over Los Angeles and losses by both the Ravens (vs. Colts on Saturday) and Bills (at Patriots).

The moral of the Titans’ story? Don’t lose two straight games to two bad teams in the most important stretch of the season.Rams vs Titans

Rams vs Titans

Buccaneers vs Panthers | The Carolina Panthers offense is working like a very much oiled machine at the present time, which is extraordinary news for their bettors in front of an essential matchup with the division equal Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second-last round of the season.

Carolina has set up a consolidated 62 focuses in back to back wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers to enhance to 10-4 SU on the year. New Orleans beat the NFC South, however the Panthers and Atlanta Falcons possess the NFC special case spots heading into this end of the week. With a prevail upon Tampa, the Panthers can secure their fourth playoff billet in five years.

The arrival of tight end Greg Olsen has been gigantic for the Panthers, as the veteran got nine goes for 116 yards and a score against Green Bay. Olsen is resembling his ordinary self subsequent to missing most of the year with foot damage. Running backs Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey have likewise ventured up, confirm by Stewart going off for three touchdowns versus Minnesota and McCaffrey’s 136 yards from scrimmage and a score against the Pack.Buccaneers vs Panthers

After starting the campaign at 2-1 SU, it’s been all downhill from there for the Bucs. Entering Week 16 with a disappointing record of 4-9 SU, the Buccaneers have not beaten a team with a winning record in 2017. Tampa Bay lost at home to the Panthers in Week 8 by a score of 17-3, and they haven’t beaten Cam Newton in Charlotte since 2012.

The UNDER is paying out when the Panthers and Bucs get together, as each of the past three clashes between the squads has gone below the closing total.

OPENING ODDS & COMPUTER PICK

The Carolina Panthers were 9.5-point favorites at oddsmaker shops such as Bovada, while the NFL total was set at 46.5 for OVER/UNDER totals betting.

OddsShark NFL prediction models pointed to a 33-14 result in favor of the Panthers on Sunday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NFL matchups here.

Buccaneers vs Panthers

TEAM BETTING RECORDS & POWER RANKINGS

The Carolina Panthers sit at 10-4 (9-4-1 ATS) on the season; in comparison, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently 4-10 (4-9-1 ATS). Looking to bet on the totals? Carolina is 9-5 OU, and Tampa Bay is 7-7 OU. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Carolina vs Tampa Bay injuries news.

The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Panthers rated this week at No. 10 and the Buccaneers sitting at No. 22.

STATISTICAL MATCHUP

Offensively, the game matches up the Carolina Panthers’ No. 12-ranked offense (23.64 PPG) against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that ranks No. 22 at 24 PPG. The Panthers passing attack has averaged 198.29 yards per game, less than the Buccaneers give up through the air (271.29 YPG on average).

Buccaneers vs Panthers

Browns vs Bears | Prior this year in the fourth preseason amusement the Cleveland Browns whipped the Chicago Bears 25-0. It was a monstrous amusement for Chicago and nothing has extremely changed from that point forward, as both the Bears and Browns are as yet two of the most noticeably awful groups in the NFL.

On Sunday the four win Bears will hope to assemble a little force for their young group as they limp into the offseason and the Browns will search for their first win of the year.

Here’s some of our current Bears versus Browns stuff to prepare you for the diversion.

Sam’s has our Game Preview here

Andrew’s has his week after week What To Watch For ideal here

Look at the Injury Report ideal here

We asked Dawgs By Nature 5 Question’s about the Browns ideal here, and they got some information about the Bears ideal here

I have honestly never been this unenthusiastic about watching a Bears game in my life. Not only has the 2017 season passed the Bears by, but they are playing the 0-14 Cleveland Browns. Browns vs Bears

What is the storyline for this game? I find myself at a loss for words, which is pretty difficult to accomplish for me. The decision on the coaching staff appears to have been made already. The Browns don’t have any free agents or head coaching candidates. On the Bears side of things, we have seen enough of the rookies and young players that this doesn’t seem to be a storyline any longer.

Besides being a hardcore Bears fan, what is the reason for watching this game? The only thing I can come up with is simple player evaluations for next season. The Bears have a lot of decisions to make next season and there are two more opportunities to see which players should be re-signed and which they can let walk. This game feels like one of those awfully named college bowl games. I am going with the Guaranteed Rate Mistake by the Lake Bowl for this one, it should be a barn-burner! Browns vs Bears

What to Watch For

On offense, it’s time to throw caution to the wind. Whether or not John Fox believes he has any future in the NFL, I would imagine that he doesn’t want to go out losing to a winless Browns team. He needs to allow Mitch Trubisky to atone for his poor performance last week.

In that same vein, I want to see Jordan Howard be able to pile up some yards. The guy deserves to have a shot at back-to-back 1,300-yard seasons. He has been the workhorse for the Bears this year. Do him a favor, throw the ball early and run out of the shotgun. It shouldn’t be this difficult to know how to be more successful running the ball, but the Bears coaching staff is common sense challenged.

Defensively, I crave aggression. Take advantage of a rookie quarterback who is clearly struggling. Stop making it easy by having Sam Acho cover wide receivers. Stop sitting back in zone coverage and allowing short, easy throws. Allow your defensive backs to cover, allow your pass rushers to rush the passer, allow your linebackers to fly around and blitz. There is no sense in playing conservative any longer, this team is well past the point of having nothing to play for. Browns vs Bears

Who to Watch

Mitch Trubisky: The rookie needs to bounce back from his performance in Detroit. There are some lessons to be learned from that game. First off, Trubisky needs to drill his throws to the left side. His mechanics moving to the right are pretty good, but moving left, they need a lot of work. The other big one for me was the end zone interception. It appears that he simply didn’t see the safety. On throws like that, I think he needs to make the mantra “facemask or higher” a staple in his vocabulary in the end zone.

Dontrelle Inman: Here is one of the players I described earlier as those needing to make a decision on. Inman has shown some nice things but has also disappeared a lot. For my money, Kendall Wright should be re-signed. Kevin White will be back simply because he costs the same whether he is here or not. Cameron Meredith is likely your number one or two next year (depending on free agency). Markus Wheaton cannot possible be brought back, and Joshua Bellamy is a special teams player. So that leaves Inman is the guy that has shown the most promise but that we know the least about. He needs to be a focal point for the remaining two games of the season. Browns vs Bears

Lamarr Houston: Houston has been really solid since re-joining the Bears. He is too much of an injury liability to be counted on as a number two EDGE next season, but as a number three or four, he could certainly be worth it. With Pernell McPhee and Willie Young likely to have played their final snaps for the Bears, Houston would seem to be the last man standing for a potential rotational spot in 2018.

Prince Amukamara: If reports about Kyle Fuller wanting to leave are true, then the Bears need to put as much pressure on Amukamara as possible. He has had his fair share of injuries since coming into the league, but he is also a really good number two cornerback. If the Bears can somehow pry away a player like Trumaine Johnson in the off-season, have Amukamara lineup opposite him would make for a really good secondary moving forward.

Keys to the Game

Keep the Pace: I want to see the young players play and I want to see the offense moving with some tempo. When you are playing for nothing, against the 0-14 Browns, does time of possession really matter? Let’s see some more shotgun, let’s see some up-tempo where I think Trubisky is most comfortable, and let’s see the running game come out of the shotgun spread. It shouldn’t be difficult to move the ball against the Browns…

Man Up: As I alluded to earlier, stop this zone nonsense. This team was built for man coverage with a single-high safety. Let’s see that come to fruition. Let the linebackers read their keys and if a back or tight end stays in to block, let them blitz. Football is not as difficult as some seem to want to make it out to be. This team struggles when it has to rely on the scheme to prevent plays from happening. Let the players play and if it backfires, well then you know what these players can’t do.

The X-Factor: Stop with the dumb penalties already. It’s not like it’s one or two players that are struggling with this, it is the whole time. The injury epidemic has been an issue since Fox got here. Sometimes the penalties are solely on the player, but when you have so many pre-snap penalties on offense, doesn’t that tell you that the coaching staff is to blame? It is time to clean that up and if the players can’t complete their assignments without committing a penalty, then that player needs to be replaced.